


"Nothing Has Changed"

by someoneyoucantstand



Series: The Firsts [1]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bullying, First Meeting, M/M, Middle School, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 03:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11637573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someoneyoucantstand/pseuds/someoneyoucantstand
Summary: Peter learns the hard way that lockers and middle school don't mix, apparently.AKA, Peter and Ned meet for the first time





	"Nothing Has Changed"

To say Peter was nervous was an understatement. It was the first day of middle school and Peter could feel the knots working their way in and out of each other in his stomach.

 He had spent an entire summer comfortably in hibernation with his Aunt and Uncle, the latter of which helped him with numerous small science projects to keep him busy. However, hibernation was now over and he had been thrust because into the real world, clutching the straps of his new Iron Man backpack as he went.

He’d cried that morning, physically sobbed into his Aunt’s shoulder. He knew he was too old to be acting like that, May reminding him when she shushed him, “Shh, Petey, you’re 12 now. You’re all grown up, it’s not a big deal – it’s only middle school, nothing has changed”, but he honestly didn’t care as he hiccupped and wiped his now red eyes.

“Nothing has changed” was the exact reason he was crying this morning, and was now currently breaking into sweats.

“Nothing has changed”

Everything was the same.

Yes, there was now a different building, with a few hundred new students, and there were new teachers teaching him new things, but nothing had changed in his own friendship department, or in the Flash department.

He heard the honking of a car horn behind him, as May waved to him before she sped off to work, probably already forgetting the state Peter had worked himself into that very morning. A few people bumped his shoulders trying to get up the front stairs so he knew he had to start moving if he didn’t want to be shoved to the ground again like the had been at the start of last year. Peter took a deep breath and moved forward, slowly making his way up the steps and just _praying_ that everything would be okay. That Flash’s parents had decided to move. That everyone who had ever known him had suddenly left and he could start an-

“Parker!” He heard the calling of his name before he saw the person, and felt the shove before he had time to even wince. Flash never took an overly physical approach to his tormenting. He preferred a more “rough and tumble, boys will be boys” approach that just made it seem like two friends messing with each other to adults.

“How ya’ doing, Parker?” He asked, slapping his hand onto Peter’s back. “Good summer?”

“J-just great”, Peter stuttered, all confidence gone. He didn’t know what it was with Flash, it just seemed as if him being near him managed to drain Peter completely.

“Good, good.” Flash nodded. “Hey listen,” he started as he stepped back, allowing two other guys to step forward. Peter vaguely remembered them from Elementary; they had been a year above, he thinks. Either way, they were a lot bigger than Peter who was yet to be grazed by even a growth spurt, and he suddenly got a whole lot more nervous. “I want to introduce you to Matt and Chris – who, in turn, would really like to introduce you to the inside of this locker over here.

Peter glanced at Flash confused but only had what seemed like seconds before he was physically shoved into the locker, his limbs trying to kick out but failing to even hit skin before the grey metal door was slammed in his face.

He could see thin lines of Flash, through the four openings in the locker, as he walked away, throwing a “have a good school year, Parker” over his shoulder.

Peter groaned to himself as he banged his hand against the locker door. The school had kept them all open until students got to theirs where they’d choose their own combination – but it didn’t stop the lockers from locking from the inside once they were closed.

Peter groaned once more, throwing his head back and lightly hitting it on the cold back of the locker. He could only hope that whoever owned this locker wasn’t some idiot he already knew and that instead, it would be someone willing to let him out without too much mocking.

He remind silent in the locker, breaths heavy as he watched through the little slits through the door as people made their way to lockers and too classes, slowly trying to find their feet in a new environment. He watched people he’d known since he was young mingle with a whole new group of people, sucking up all his potential friends whilst he was stuck in here, thanks to Flash.

A good 15 minutes must have passed before he heard someone rattling on the lock of the door as they began setting a new combination. Through the slits he could see a glimpse of dark hair and tanned skin.

Peter winced and closed his eyes as he saw the door beginning to open. He heard a “Jesus Christ, what the hell!?” before he opened his eyes to see a boy his age clutching his chest in surprise.

“H-hey…” Peter trailed off, not moving from the locker, instead just staring at the boy in front of him, who, in turn, stared back too.

“What… what are you doing in my locker?” The boy asked, voice cautious.

“I was shoved in here by Flash.” Peter mumbled as he stated to remove himself from the small space. The boy in front of him held out a hand, helping to pull Peter out when he grabbed onto it. He fell out, backpack hanging on just one shoulder and his new jumper riding up in the back.

“Didn’t know people actually did that in real life,” the boy stated, “figured it was just in movies.”

“Yeah, well.” Peter shrugged, looking at the boy in front of him. He was taller than Peter, clearly already going through his puberty, making Peter feel even smaller than he already was.

The boy nodded, looking at Peter as he straightened himself out, fixing his jumper and flinging his backpack strap over the other arm too. He felt sorry for the boy, of course, but he couldn’t help being thankful it wasn’t him shoved in there. Either way, the locker boy seemed uncomfortable, scared even.

Peter watched the boy in front of him looking at him before he smiled.

“I’m Ned.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are much appreciated.  
> If you have any prompts for "Firsts" between Ned and Peter, just send them into my tumblr [askbox](http://someoneyoucantstand.tumblr.com/ask) on someoneyoucantstand


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